Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner outlined an education reform plan Monday that touched on teacher merit pay, overhauling tenure and changing the state's school funding format, but the proposal didn't contain specifics on what exactly he would change or how he would accomplish them.
The venture capitalist said his ideas would help create "world class schools" and he vowed to increase school funding in the first year if he wins office without raising the income tax or property taxes. He said he wanted to change the teacher tenure system, but wasn't advocating doing away with it.
Rauner, seeking his first run for public office, is trying to unseat Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. It's expected to be one of the most competitive governor's races nationwide.
"The state government in Springfield is hostile to school reform," he said at a news conference with his wife, Diana Rauner, who runs the Ounce of Prevention Fund.
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His other ideas included lifting the cap on charter schools, tax credits for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies and consolidating school-related agencies. The 26-page plan did not outline details on which agencies would be consolidated or how he wanted to proceed.
Quinn's lieutenant governor running mate Paul Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO, deemed the plan "reckless," and he called for more details on how the money would be spent.
Dan Montgomery, the president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, questioned if the plan would strip teachers of their rights.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
